On February 12, 2021, Sarasota Opera opened its 2021 Winter Opera Festival with a fully-staged production of Rossini’s “The Happy Deception.”

Performing to an audience of 25 percent capacity, the production marked a successful opening to their 62nd season amid the ongoing pandemic. While the company’s season was originally comprised of larger works that audiences adore, the success of SO’s socially-distanced recitals in the fall of 2020 inspired the redesigned Winter and Spring Opera Festival.

Upcoming works in the season include Pergolesi’s “Maid to Mistress” on Feb. 19, Rossini’s “Il Signor Bruschino” on April 9, and Purcell’s “Dido and Aeneas” on April 11.

“None of us imagined that opera houses, theaters, and concert halls around the world would be mostly shuttered for a year (and counting) and that most of our artists would be out of work,” said Sarasota Opera Executive Director Richard Rusell in a press release. “As we navigated the uncertainty of the situation, we realized that we couldn’t remain silent. Despite the health emergency, we felt it was important to keep a connection with our audience, community, and artists.”